saving you
by winteredspark
Summary: He was the trace of a sunbeam in the midst of the shadows. He kept her afloat in the sea of burning hopes and startling reality. He saved her countless times and someday, maybe, just maybe, she could save him too. Jalex.
1. I: missing inspiration

**saving. you. **

**So, this is going to be short story based off the idea of the title: saving you. They will be little drabbles showing all the times Justin saves his little sister, and at the end maybe Alex will save him in return. Let me know what you think and keep an eye out for Part Two. **

* * *

A single sunbeam is enough to drive away many shadows"  
_- St. Francis of Assisi_

* * *

The first time he saved her, it was simply to keep up his own level of progress.

Justin stumbled into the lair one afternoon with his Wiztech glasses pushed up the bridge of his nose. He had just finished dinner and was getting ready to start his daily spell meditation session - he always did it, always, from six to seven thirty. When he spotted Alex curled up in the armchair with a resigned look on her face - that usually always meant she'd been scolded about something - he let out a sigh, however. The scholar side of his brain told him to get the spell books and meditate in his room, but the brotherly side of his brain saw that his disruptive little sister was off.

"What did you do now?" he asked her, plopping down on the cushioned ottoman opposite her.

Alex glared at him, "What makes you think I did something?"

Justin only raised an eyebrow quizzically; he'd learned over the years that his sister was almost never innocent. "Well, did you?" he wondered.

"Yes," she whined, her lips pursing in a frown. "Dad was going on and on about how Max was destined to win the wizard competition and I was sick of it, so I stood up and told him that I quit." Crossing her arms around her legs, Alex flashed her brother a pout.

"Alex," Justin said, "you can't just quit the wizard competition." He reached for an amateur spellbook on the stand behind the ottoman.

She only scowled, "And why not? Justin, there's no way we can catch up anyways!" Alex turned her head and he swore he saw her brush something from under her right eye, but he chose not to mention it.

"Max won't be ready to hold the competition for months or even years," Justin said, resting the book on his thighs, "or ever, really. I could beat him blindfolded. _You_ could beat him blindfolded; if that doesn't say something I don't know what will."

Alex smiled reluctantly and brushed her black hair off her forehead; she was wearing it shoulder length again, and it waved in beautiful ringlets around her neck and chin.

"Still, you know I don't study," she said.

Justin refrained from rolling his eyes, "Did anyone ever tell you how stubborn you are?"

Alex bit her lip and then chuckled, looking at him through misty brown eyes, "Only everyone." He caught something in that statement - a sort of desperation - but again dismissed it as something related to 'girl problems.'

"And what about Mason?" Justin asked her. He didn't like bringing up the werewolf - who was too good looking for his own good - but if it got a reaction from his sister then so be it.

Sure enough, Alex's shoulders tensed. She blinked once, and then twice. "I don't want to lose him," she murmered quietly, her gaze softening as she fingered the love necklace that rested against the cotton front of her blouse. "I love him; did you know that?" she asked her brother.

Justin scooted closer and patted the tip of her shoe, watching her laugh. "I know," he said, hiding any sort of antagonism that might have slipped in. He did want Alex to be happy - he honestly did. "And if you don't want to lose him, then we'd better get studying. We have a ways to catch up."

Alex looked at him as if he was the sun. Then cynicism sunk in. "You want to help me?" she asked in disbelief. "How does that benefit you?"

Justin chuckled, "I don't know if you realize this, Alex, but I'm just as far behind in the wizard competition as you are. Exposer of Wizardry, remember?" He pointed to himself, swallowing uncomfortably as the words left his mouth.

"Oh. Right," she said, still hesitating. "I just thought you found my blue cheese dressing for shampoo prank and wanted to get back at me for it."

His eyes widened, "Blue cheese dressing? I - ugh - ur - errr- _Alex_!"

"Yeah, yeah," Alex said, waving him off in a nonchalant manner. "As much fun as it is to watch you spaz out, I have better things to occupy my time." She began to get up.

Justin grunted impatiently, "Are you going to take my up on my offer or not? What, are you waiting for a written contract or something?"

Alex grinned mischeviously, "That would be nice, along with a copy of child labor laws. Knowing you, you'd make me study overtime and my brain would explode from too-much-information-itis."

Justin groaned, "What, you're not going to add 'ito' to that? You know, so you can make it spanish." He gave her one of his stares - the one that meant she was in danger of losing his help.

Alex took his hand in hers and gave it a firm shake, making him wince and mutter something about germs and disinfectant. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Tutor. I'm your new delinquent." She flashed a smile and Justin knew he had her back.

Waiting for Alex to join him on the ottoman, Justin grimaced theatrically and said, "Don't call me that. It only reminds me of elves." He flipped the book open to - oh how ironically - a page on elven culture.

Alex laughed again, and the sound of her laughter had never sounded so beautiful.

That was the first time he saved her.

_-**t_b_c-_**


	2. II: sodden roses and shattered dreams

**saving. you. **

**part _2_**

* * *

"Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass...it's about learning how to dance in the rain!"  
_- Vivian Greene_

__;__

The second time he saved her, she painted the perfect picture of sadness and the soft scent of roses crashed over him.

Justin was just crossing towards the staircase leading up to his family's apartment - he'd seen Alex playing skee-ball with Dean out in the middle of the crowded street and knew things wouldn't end well. Though Alex had told Dean she was back together with Mason, she'd still agreed to spend some friend time with him. Even now, as the front door swung open to reveal a new customer, Justin caught the unmistakable scent of roses and jealousy.

"Hey best friend!" Zeke's beaming face greeted him.

"Hey," Justin said, waving at his abnormally cheerful friend; before he could wonder too much about what had boosted Zeke's mood, however, he saw Harper heading towards the boy with one smoothie and two straws. The smoothie was strawberry, by the way.

"Hi, Justin," Harper said with a smile. She still flirted with him at times but now most of her efforts were directed towards her Zekey-weekey.

He took note of her blue t-shirt and leggings made entirely of green straws and couldn't help but chuckle, "Hey Harper. You and Zeke on a date?"

"Uh-hu." She blushed rosy red. "I'm thinking it's time we take it to the next level."

Justin shuddered as images of a half naked Harper wrapped around an equally half naked Zeke danced in his mind. "Take it to the next level?" he repeated in a squeak, sneaking another glance out the window. Alex was laughing - probably Dean had made some imbicilic remark that had somehow impressed her.

"Yeah," said Harper, cheeks still flaming. "I was thinking that we could share a smoothie. Am I taking things too fast?" she wondered.

"No," Justin said, laughing uncomfortably. "Good luck with your date, Harper. I - uh - I have to go."

"Wait!" She cried a little too loudly, causing everyone in the sub station to look at her weirdly. "What, a girl can't be emphatic about her ideas?" she asked them.

Justin saw Alex wave goodbye to Dean; the slick-haired boy walked off down the street, leaving Alex and Mason to themselves. "Did you want something, Harper?" he asked her.

She nodded, her strawberry blonde waves bouncing with the motion, "Can you place a confidence spell on me; you know - so I don't mess things up with Zeke again?" Widening her eyes, Harper gave him the puppy dog expression.

"No, but thanks for trying," Justin told her. "Oh, and for the record -"

"Do you have any idea how nubbish you sound right now?" Alex interuppted. Justin caught her gaze and frowned as he noticed the red bags under her eyes.

"Must you be so degrading?" he asked her.

Harper nodded, "Alex, you are really mean to Justin." With a last smile at Justin she scurried off to sit with Zeke.

Alex rolled her eyes, "Look, maybe I am a little hard on you, but don't expect an apology." She rushed off in the direction of the lair, fishing her wand out of her right boot as she walked.

Justin - noticing that Mason seemed to have vacated the premise - followed her, "What's wrong?"

His little sister looked up and flashed out instantaneously, but not before Justin saw the tears rolling down her cheeks. Something was horribly wrong, he realized, heading for the stairs so their parents wouldn't chew him out for using magic in public; Alex hadn't cried since - well, he didn't remember the last time he'd seen her cry. Typically she exuded an air of sarcastic nonchalance, something she didn't really have to work hard at.

Upon entering their residence, Justin discovered Alex lounging on the couch with a tub of mint chocolate chip ice cream on her lap. Her cheeks were already smeared with the green substance.

"Why are you stalking me?" she asked him, turning up the volume on Biggest Loser.

He stared at the screen and not at her face, afraid of what he might see, "You know, you make the perfect picture of indecision right now."

Alex glanced up at him for a second, "What the hullabaloo are you talking about?" She took another gigantic bite of ice cream and dripped some on the front of her black v-neck in the process.

"Well," Justin began, taking a seat on the chair a few feet from her position, "you're watching a show about weight loss while eating ice cream. How much more conflicted can you get?"

She snorted bitterly, "It doesn't matter, because I don't have the heart to starve myself to skinny perfection." Her dark eyes probed him and she wiped a trail of mascara from her cheek. "What do you want? I'm not really in the mood to socially develop dorks right now, so..."

He nudged her toe and watched her flinch away, "What's wrong, Alex?"

She smiled fake-like, "Why would you think anything's wrong. Oh wait, because you read way too far into every situation."

He ignored the jab, insisting, "I know something's wrong. You were crying down in the sub station."

Alex turned up the volume until the TV was practically screaming at them.

Wincing, Justin said, "Turn it down, please. You don't want to be deaf at seventeen years old."

Alex crossed her arms, "I'll be eighteen in three months."

"Turn it down," he said again, beginning to get aggravated with his obstinate little sister.

"No," said Alex, closing her eyes.

"Alex!" He snapped. "I am older than you and technically in charge while we're alone and I demand that you -"

"_Shut up_!" Alex screamed. Somehow she had shot to her feet and was now glaring down at him, not even bothering to hide the tears pouring from her eyes. "Just _shut up_, okay? You have no idea what I'm going through right now and you don't seem to possess the ability to leave me alone so just _be quiet_!"

All Justin could do for a minute or two was just stare at his little sister and note the way her chest was heaving as she stood there and how her chocolate brown eyes steamed with pain - he almost never saw that look on her face; the last time had been the evening they both lost their loved ones. Alex had cried in his arms for well over an hour before shifting into a quiet state and hiding away from the world. Then, a week later, she'd emerged from her room, sardonic as usual.

"What happened, Alex?" he asked quietly.

Alex's fingernails dug into her skin, leaving blood smeared cuts, "He - he saw me with Dean and he -" she broke off with a choked sob. "He's gone, Justin. Mason's gone." Then she walked away from her, out onto the terrace. Moments later rain began to pound down on the city.

Justin closed the door to the house behind him as he joined his sister on the terrace. She was standing on the brick wall; he found his heart beating way too fast at the thought that she could fall and end her life at any given second.

"I'm not going to jump, if that's what you're thinking," Alex said before he could start.

He let out a tense breath, "Can you get down, please? I don't want to have to explain your untimely demise to mom and dad, if at all possible."

She turned to look at him and then, after a drawn out moment, she leapt down, her bare feet splashing in a puddle on the floor of the terrace. .

"Thank you." Justin shoved his hands into his front pockets, knowing that Alex didn't want him touching her. The rain pasted his hair to his forehead and he knew he probably looked really stupid.

"I didn't mean to make him jealous," Alex whispered. "I just - Dean wanted to spend some time with me and - and I didn't think anything of it." She bowed her head and Justin knew she'd created the storm to hide her tears. Alex never had liked feeling weak.

"When Dean left, Mason said that - that I needed to prove where my loyalties lied," Alex continued in the same slow, dreary tone. "I told him that I loved him and that I would always pick him but - but he didn't listen. He said to call him when I knew who - who I belonged to." Her breath hitched.

"He'll come back, Alex," Justin said, feeling at a loss for words. He didn't know how to comfort her, not in a situation like this; they fought and they sniped and even laughed together, but the whole idea of comforting her and telling her that everything was going to be okay...the thought felt foreign.

She faced him and he tried not to notice the way her shirt clung to her body and exposed the outline of her bra. "I know that, Justin," Alex said, stepping closer, "but that doesn't mean I'll take him back." She choked on air again.

He brought her eyes to him and held them, watching her cry, "Can I hold you, Alex?"

She hesitated, and then, slowly, she nodded, holding her arms out to him, "Your hair looks really stupid, you know."

"I know," Justin said, pulling her into his body and hugging her tightly. "You'll always have me, Alex."

Alex snorted, "We sound like an ABC Original Drama." Her fingers clenched at his soaked shirt and sent tingles racing up and down his spine.

He clutched her closer, "Get used to it, Alexandra. This Sir-Dorks-A-Lot thrives in the land of soap operas." He sniffed at her hair, "You smell like roses."

"Don't call me Alexandra," she said, cracking a tiny smile. The intensity of the storm faded and slowly disappeared, leaving them in a bedraggled, freshened world. "We should probably dry ourselves off, Justin."

He released her, pretending not to notice the way she shivered into his neck, "C'mon, I'll do you first..."

Alex stretched up and kissed his cheek gently - gently for her anyways.

"What was that for?" Justin asked, feeling slightly fuzzy-headed at her demonstration of sibling affection.

"For showing me that everything will be okay," Alex said. "Oh, you have something on your shirt." She pointed at it and as he lowered his head, she flicked his nose. "Gotcha."

He growled playfully at her, "One of these days I'm going to get you back." He whirled his wand in the air and caught it, preparing to dry her off.

"I'd rather not live to never-gonna-happen, but I appreciate the gesture," Alex said, cracking another smile.

That was the second time he saved her.

_-**t_b_c-_**


	3. III: pickles and lies

**saving. you. **

**part three**

**

* * *

**

The more I live, the more I think that humor is the saving sense.

_- Jacob Riis_

* * *

The third time he saved her it started with a pickle, and he - well, maybe he gets tired of being the good child. So maybe she coerced him into lying. Conceivably.

Justin was just heading towards the fridge for a snack when he heard the irritating blare of the TV - he knew Alex was watching something; she always turned the TV on way too loud - and arguing voices. But, being the good child that he knew he was, Justin attempted to ignore both annoyances. He dug through the fridge for something healthy and brain stimulating.

"Justin," came her voice, "toss me a pickle."

Justin ignored her, pulling out a fat-free protein shake - it was vanilla flavored, his favorite - and preparing to head back off to his room. He had a ten page essay on the correct use of the Pythagorean Theorem due on Friday - and that was only three days and one hundred and twenty hours away.

"_Justin_," Alex moaned again. She sat up and paused arguing with Max for a moment to focus on her older brother. "Toss me a pickle. I'm too lazy to get up."

"Why a pickle?" Max asked, clearly confused. He tried to rip the TV controller from Alex's grasp but she only held it out of his reach.

Alex smirked, "Because I like pickles." She fluffed her curly brown hair and sank back onto the couch. "Justin, where is my -"

"Here," Justin interrupted, placing a pickle on her lap. She watched sweet juices leak from the vegetable and stain the front of her jeans.

Alex glanced up at him, "You know you could have just thrown it to me from the kitchen, right?" Her eyes formed chocolate pools.

Justin sighed in exasperation, "If you weren't paying attention - which you _weren't_ - it could have hit you in the head and caused a minor concussion."

"Really?" Alex snorted, crossing her legs. "A minor concussion? It's a _pickle_, Justin." She waved it at him for a moment before taking a huge bite.

He watched juice dribble down her jawline before saying, "You have disgusting manners, you know that?"

She shrugged, "Sit down, Sir Dorks-A-Lot." She motioned at the chair adjacant to her position and raised an eyebrow when he remained standing. "I promise I didn't booby trap it."

Justin didn't move, "Unlike you, I actually _care_ about keeping my grades up, which includes actually _doing_ homework." He made a move to walk away but paused, tingles racing up his arm, as Alex grabbed his left wrist.

She was giving him those puppy dog eyes again, the ones she knew affected him despite all his high standards and "ridiculous moral codes."

"It's not going to work," Justin told his little sister.

Alex batted her eyelashes, "Are you sure?"

"Yes," he snapped, "because whenever you actually endure my presence you inevitably_ want _something." Justin tried to pull away again but she held a firm grip on his arm.

"What if I told you my request included school-work?" Alex asked. She was still smirking at him in the way she knew infuriated him.

Justin quirked an eyebrow suspiciously, "Scout's honor?"

Alex rolled her eyes, "Yeah, whatever. Scout's honor whooey whatey. Sit down."

After a pause, Justin finally sat down with a huff, "Just so you know, I'm doing this against my will." He spoke sullenly.

She just looked at him and said wryly, "Clearly." Tugging on one of her split ends, Alex said, "I've been trying to explain a rare piece of magic to Max."

Justin said, "Since when do _you_ care about magic?" At her glare he backpedaled. "Alright, what piece of rare magic is it exactly?"

He swore he saw her wink at him, but it might have just been his imagination - er, sense of overanalyzing. "I told him about the Book of Teq-ara-que and that if he finds it and recites the spell within he'll be transported to the Land of Pudding," said Alex.

"Is she telling the truth, Justin?" Max asked. "Because that would be totally _awesome_!" He grinned, eyes twinkling with boyish delight.

Alex weaved her arms around Max's torso and laid her head down on his shoulder, "Why would I lie to you about this, Maxie? Why would I lie to you about your _life's dream_?" She kissed his cheek and Justin could barely refrain from snorting out loud. From his perspective he could easily see that Alex was lying; she pulled out the sweet talk whenever she wanted to get her way and he'd learned to decipher her over the years. But Max - poor, confused Max - didn't have that same advantage.

Justin opened his mouth to tell his little brother the truth, but paused as he caught Alex's gaze. She was looking at him so pleadingly, with her lower lip jutting out and her chocolate brown eyes so innocent. He knew that beneath the surface she was devious and was simply taking advantage of him, but in the moment, he almost - he almost didn't want to disappoint her.

"Max, Max, Max," Justin said, patting his brother's leg. "It's true, no matter how _unbelievable_ -" that earned him a kick in the shin from Alex, "it may seem."

Alex smiled, "You know, I think I saw the book in our Lair, hidden behind the Keep-These-Objects-Away-From-Alex shelf. But it might have been wistful thinking." She shrugged.

Max lit up like a kid on Christmas morning, "Oh man, that's great. I have to start looking now." He got up. "Justin, we should probably tell dad to move the location of the Keep-These-Objects-Away-From-Alex shelf."

"Yeah, we probably should," said Justin, smiling up at his brother. On the inside Justin was struggling with guilt for lying and exhilaration that he had.

Max headed for the stairs, but turned again, "Alex, no matter what anyone else says, I think you're a very nice person." He smiled.

"Thanks, Maxie," Alex said, still putting on the sweet front. It was practically rotting her teeth, Justin thought; figuratively speaking of course. "Oh, there's one more thing," she added, sitting up. "The book is invisible in light, so you have to turn off all the lights to see it."

Max nodded, "Okay. I should probably go find my giant scissors so I can cut the wires supplying power to our house."

"You do that, Max," Alex said. Justin was struggling not to laugh, or puke. Whichever came first.

"I can't believe we just did that," he whispered as soon as they were alone.

Alex leaned back, wrapping her arms around herself, "I didn't think you had it in you. Congrats." She turned her attention towards the TV.

Justin found himself struggling to make sense of the situation. He just lied for her and that was _it_? It was just _over_? "Don't you want to know why I helped you?" he asked.

Shrugging, Alex said, "Not particularly." She turned the TV up a notch and changed it to Spongebob.

Justin choked on empty words, "But I - but I_ helped _you. I _lied_ for _you_. And you _don't care_?" He was sputtering by this point.

She looked at him, really looked at him, and he noticed the flecks of green in her irises. It was mesmerizing, in a way. "I lie all the time. It's not a big deal, Justin; let it go." She chuckled at something Patrick said.

He moved so that he was sitting beside her, "But I don't lie. I'm the _good child_!" His eyes were wide and frantic.

"Not anymore," Alex pointed out. "I've corrupted you." She patted his arm and then rested her head on his shoulder.

He sighed, "Why are you using me as a pillow, Alex?"

"You're comfortable." That was all she said before squirming to get in a better position.

Justin watched blurs move across the TV screen, not really focusing on them, "I know you didn't want to know, but I - I helped you because it felt right. I felt like - like if I didn't help you then I would be letting you down." He deflated, feeling oddly empty as soon as the words left his mouth.

Alex didn't answer at first, only pulling his left arm so that it wrapped around her. When she finally did speak, it was so soft he barely heard it.

"For what it's worth," she whispered, her breath sending goosebumps racing across his skin, "I'm glad you sided with me for once." Their hearts beat together, steady and comfortable, and then she took a bite of the pickle and sprayed juice across his t-shirt; the moment was ruined.

That was the third time he saved her.

**_-t_b_c-_**


	4. IV: teddy bears and shocking revelations

**saving. you. **

**part four**

**Hey, so I'm finally back. I haven't been able to discover my Jalex inspiration for some time now, but it's finally back and I thought I would write another chapter of this because it makes me happy. After Part Four there will be about two more parts; I already have them planned out in my head but, knowing me, they'll end up totally different. I hope you enjoy! :)**

* * *

The fourth time he saved her he wished he wasn't such a good guy.

They were studying for the only class they had together on the couch - well, he was studying and pretending not to notice that she was peeking over his shoulder and copying his notes - and for once the atmosphere of the living room was silent save the rustle of paper and the scratch of pencils.

"Who even cares who wrote The Road Not Taken?" Alex grumbled. She swatted lazily at a fly buzzing above her head.

Justin sighed, "Robert Frost was and still is a renowned poet, Alex. Of _course_ people care."

Alex swatted at the fly again, this time a bit more vigorously. "Let me guess," she said, "you figured out a statistic on Wikipedia."

"No," said Justin, flipping a page in his book. He chuckled at her lack of awareness. "People like Bud the Ditch Digger write supposed facts on Wikipedia."

"Maybe you aren't as dorky as I thought," Alex muttered to herself. "For once you're actually not -"

"So that's why I looked it up on one of his personal fanbases," Justin cut her off with one of those incredibly nerdy smiles of his that made her heart lighten just a little bit. "Nearly nineteen thousand people alone liked one of his quotes. _One_."

She couldn't help but snort, unsure as to whether she was more amused that he bothered looking up statistics or that he found them on one of those freakish fanbases. "Seriously, Justin?" The fly landed on her cheek and Alex tried to smack it into a bloody mass with the palm of her hand; she hissed as she missed, watching the fly zoom in spirals towards the ceiling.

"Would you like me to put the fly swatting spell on you?" Justin asked, chuckling once more. He certainly _was_ in a good mood, laughing so much and offering to do a spell outside of wizard lessons.

Alex met his eyes, and she'd never realized just how gray they were. Like stormclouds, she mused.

"Sure," she replied at last, smiling at him as she lowered her defenses just a little bit. He _was _playing nice, after all.

His laughter made a mask snap back onto her face instantly. She should have known it was too good to be true.

"You actually thought I would break the rules," Justin said between bursts of laughter, "even for you?"

She shouldn't have been bothered by his comment, because that's just how dorky her brother was, but something about the way he said it bothered her. _Even for you_, he'd said. That meant something, which meant he was playing mind games, which was totally _not fair_ because she was already studying and her brain was about to explode on her. _Hello_, he should know this by now.

"Look, I'm too tired to decipher one of your riddles," Alex mumbled, stretching her arms up in the air as she released a yawn. Summer was fast approaching and lying on the itchy grass out behind their apartment complex sounded extremely appealing right now.

Justin cocked an eyebrow, "Huh?"

The doorbell chimed, breaking them from a disconcerting staring contest about...well, neither of them was totally sure.

"Get it," Alex ordered, rubbing her eyes as her eyelids sagged threateningly. She could really go for a strawberry smoothie right now, she thought.

"Why can't you get it?" Justin snapped, and look, they were already breaking back into the old quarrels.

He'd missed the sour tang of animosity with his sister, Justin could admit to himself, although he'd never tell her that. She'd probably scream "off with his head" or something and pull off one of her many pranks. He never had gotten the scent of mustard out of his toothpaste cap.

Alex gave him a look. "Because I'm too lazy to get up," she said dryly, "and you're all too eager to please anyone in sight, even me." She smirked irritatingly, but he knew she knew she had him.

A long, drawn out sigh. The clenching of his jaw. And then -

"Fine, I'll get it." Justin gave in with a huff and rose to answer the door.

Needless to say, he wasn't pleased with what he saw: a dozen red roses held together by a satin bow trimmed with lace, a teddy bear carrying a box of chocolates and a note that read _I'm Sorry_. And there, standing next to the gifts, was a very familiar face, one that Justin had hoped never to see again.

"Who's there?" Alex called out from inside.

Justin's fingers tightened around the door, he looked back at his sister and the still fresh softness in her eyes, and sighed as he realized what he had to do.

"It's just the trash-man," Justin said with one of his nervous smiles. "I have to discuss the monthly payments and specifications with him really quick."

Alex's nose scrunched with confusion, "I thought that was dad's job."

They both burst out laughing, because c'mon, the thought of their dad actually taking care of this was ridiculous.

"Be right back," Justin promised.

"Don't get mugged." Her voice floated to him with a hint of mirth and he smiled, realizing that he would miss that rampant joy she wore now.

The door clicked shut. Instantly Justin's face darkened and he crossed his arms as he blocked any entry to their home.

"What do you want?" he asked tightly.

Mason clutched the roses tighter to his chest and smiled sadly, "I've come to apologize. I shouldn't have broken up with Alex and I need her to know that I love her."

There were hundreds of thoughts shooting through Justin's head, but the most prominent was: _does he mean it?_ There were far too many callous jerks out there who only apologized so they could take back their position of dominance. And once they did, they became as cruel and calculating as before.

"How do I know you mean it?" Justin growled. "You didn't see Alex the afternoon you broke up with her."

Mason's lips tightened and he looked as though he was struggling with something he couldn't express. Then, with shaking fingers, he held up the heart necklace that Alex had thrown at him after their breakup and slung it about his neck. Instantly it began to flicker and then burst forth in a rosy glow.

And just like that, Justin knew.

...

Alex was sitting in the same position on the couch as before when Justin stepped inside. This time, however, her cheeks were lit a flaming red and she was smiling softly to herself. The heart necklace rested around her collarbone and shown beautifully in the late afternoon light.

"So, I take it you and Mason are going out again," Justin said stiffly, sitting on the opposite end of the couch from her. In this state she might be easy to approach, but it made him uncomfortable; now he just didn't want to be around her.

Alex nodded slightly, then looked at her brother with wide brown eyes.

"Don't worry," she mumbled under her breath, chuckling to herself, "I'll carry a silver stake in my boot just in case."

Justin smiled at her efforts, "Just attach it to your wand, then you'll always have it with you."

"I like how you think," Alex said. She sat back, and swatted one last time at the same stupid fly who insisted on buzzing around her face.

Silence fell over them, and he felt a pressing force bottling in his chest; it wasn't a very comfortable feeling, and Justin shifted slightly.

"I wasn't going to let Mason in," Justin admitted.

Alex just stared at him.

"I just - I saw the look on your face the night he left you, and I couldn't let that happen again." He was losing it, his voice cracking and fading with this admission. His fingers fiddled with each other on his stomach. "But then, he put on the necklace, and I - I remembered how happy he made you."

More silence.

"You're such a nub," Alex said at last, but then she flung herself at him, her arms encircling around his waist. Her head burrowed into the crook of his neck and Justin realized for the nth time just how perfectly she fit against him.

He reclined back against the pillows until both of them were lying on the couch. She was just lying there on top of him, yawning ever minute or so, and it should have been awkward but it wasn't. And that was what scared him the most: it felt _right_, like he could do this forever.

"I thought I was Sir-Dorks-A-Lot," he joked at last, his voice weak.

She laughed, her lips vibrating against his skin. "You're that too." She yawned, muffling her mouth with the sleeve of his shirt. "Are you going to rest your head on mine or what?"

Justin half gasped half laughed at her bravado. "I should probably get up and finish studying," he said.

"Nu-uh," Alex said, shaking her head. Her hair tickled the base of his chin and he shivered a little. "I could use a nap, and am now far too comfortable to move. So man up and give in already."

"You're so contradictory," Justin said, but he was already resting his head against hers, cautiously of course.

Her eyes fluttered shut, and she began to drift off.

"Thank you for letting him in." Her voice came in a mere whisper. "Maybe you're not a complete dork."

Justin couldn't contain the smile that spread across his face, "But you're still the same annoying little sister you always have been."

Her lips pressed softly against his throat and her grip around his waist slowly loosened as she fell into the clutches of sleep.

"What's happening to me?" Justin mused, holding her gently as she slept. A strange warmth was beginning to spread throughout his chest, his heart pulsing the warmth throughout every artery in his body. He wasn't foreign to the feeling, but that it had manifested itself in this moment was troubling to say the least. "This isn't normal."

That's when he spotted the words written on her wrist, and it felt as if his whole world had splintered. There, in wobbly cursive, was written: _we're not normal people_.

That was the fourth time he saved her.

_-_**t**_**b_c_-_**


	5. V: late night visits and CPR

**saving. you. **

**part five**

**So I added another chapter because I just thought this was cute. I'm sad that this story will be ending soon because it's one of my favorites, but I know that every story has to end and I hope that this fic has inspired you as well. -wipes eyes- Let's stop the sniffling now. We still have this part and two more to enjoy. **

* * *

_What you leave behind is not what is engraved into stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others. _

_~ Pericles_

* * *

The fifth time he tried to save her - tried being the operative word, because she wouldn't let him - he surfaced into consciousness to the sound of her screams.

He was totally not sleeping right outside her closed door just so that he could make sure she wasn't disturbed. In fact, he just happened to be walking back from checking on Max when he tripped and fell and thank god he was conveniently carrying a pillow. But, he digresses.

The basic fact of the matter is that he tripped and fell right outside her door and so was in perfect proximity to hear her loud yelps. She wasn't really saying anything in particular, just whimpering in that way of hers that reminded him of falling rain and pouting puppy dogs. Her breath caught and he heard the unmistakable sign of halting sniffs.

"Alex?" He cracked the door open to see her sitting up in bed with a blotchy red nose and an expression so _lost_ on her face it completely unseated him.

The instant she heard his voice - of course - she turned a very owlish glare upon him and covered herself with a stripped purple pillow (because she doesn't do pink, duh.) He could still make out the outline of her baggy pajamas behind the pillow, however, and that along with her rumpled hair made the whole picture almost comical.

"Stalker much?" she hissed.

Justin could have rolled his eyes at her attempts at antagonism. But, because he's doesn't like to degrade himself to such a loose gesture, he contented himself with a very manly snort.

"You're giving me that expression again," she mumbled into the darkness, and he could just make out the outline of her lips.

"What expression?" He slid the door open just a bit more and squeezed his way into her room. Instantly the scent of rotting subs and jasmine scented perfume assaulted his nostrils, but other than the excruciatingly horrible smell of disintegrating meat it wasn't too bad, actually.

Alex tugged the pillow closer and glared at him again.

"Personal space, dork." She crinkled her nose but it didn't hide the puffy rings under her brown eyes.

"What expression?" he repeated. Up on the bed she crossed her legs meditation style and ran a hand through her dark brown hair, messing it up even more, if possible.

"You know," Alex muttered, "the one which suggests I'm some form of an evolutionary dud." He watched her eyes narrow as she studied him, probably trying to figure out why he was up at this unearthly hour.

Justin balked at the idea. "The idea of you being an evolutionary dud is preposterous," he stutters. "Your brain functions are at perfectly normal levels; the only reason people find you on an exponentially lower level is because you insist on _not_ trying."

She scowled and said, "I _try_." But he saw her lower lip quiver in the darkness and figured that this topic probably wasn't the best to be following at three in the morning.

A pause. "Are you going to stare at me all night, or what?" she asked sharply.

Justin slowly, cautiously - so he wouldn't startle her - got to his feet and stood in the corner of he room, "Must you place such crude and -" he shivered, "illegal images in my mind?"

Alex smirked, "That's what you get for waking me up at three in the morning." She flicked at a piece of skin on the edge of her big toe and he saw her expression draw pensive; all his mind was capable of thinking at this point was: _we can't do this...we can't...let's just stop_.

Another hefty pause and she sighed irritably. Justin watched her wiggle her toes absentmindedly while she fought to tame the rat's nest that was her hair.

"Why did you wake me up at three in the morning?" she asked at last. "I was right in the middle of winning the -" She clamped her mouth shut instantly, but he already knew what she was going to say: _I was right in the middle of the wizard competition_. It wasn't something they really talked about, considering the competition was only a few weeks away, but Justin had always subconsciously known it bothered his sister. She was just good at hiding her uncertainty.

_What would she be uncertain about? _The question caught him off-guard a little, but he fought to maintain a neutral expression.

"I didn't wake you up," Justin told her. "Actually, it was the other way around."

Alex let out a _pssh_. "Please, what would I wake you -"

"You were screaming in your sleep." The words slipped out unintentionally because, hello, all his brain is thinking about is _sleepsleepsleep_ right now.

Alex paused to look at him in disbelief. "Are you sure you're not going crazy, because -"

"Alex." Justin cuts her off again, because he was too tired to dealing with her accusations. "Why were you screaming?" he asked softly, rubbing at his eyes to try and dislodge the remainders of sleep from the corners.

She eyed him uncertainly and then mumbled in a rush, "I'mhavingnightmaresabout-things."

It took him several minutes just to process that she'd spoken.

"We're not operating on standard time here," he said. "Slow down and tell me again."

She groaned as if he was asking something tremendously inconvenient of her, "TJ dared me to watch an R rated movie to prove I wasn't some lame _wanna be_, so I told him I would, but when I started watching it I got freaked out and it's totally _stupid_ because now all I can see when I close my eyes is-" She cut off again, flushing bright red.

"You're watching R rated movies?" he asked slowly.

She thumped him, and he totally didn't realize just how far in the room he'd moved. "Are you that stupid," she growled.

He brushed off her ridicule and said, "Look, if you don't want to watch the movie, then -"

"Look, I'm not a Dorks-A-Lot like you and there's _no way_ I'm backing out of this," Alex cut him off and her fingers are starting to dig holes into the pillow. He smiled unconsciously at the sound of his nickname, his lips fading into a frown as he watched her strangle the pillow.

"Are you trying to perform CPR?" he asked dryly, pointing at the ravaged pillow. "Because I'm pretty sure that's not the correct technique - assuming we want the patient alive."

Alex hissed at him, "Well maybe I don't _want_ the patient alive." She threw the pillow down on the floor in a burst of anger and it wilted into several pieces on the carpet, stuffing left floating in the air like puffy clouds.

Silence fell over them and Justin sighed as he noticed her chest heaving; may as well deflate her now before she went on a tirade, he figured.

"Is there anything I can do?" he asked with a huge fake smile.

Alex shook her head, "I don't need _your_ help." She turned her nose up.

"You make it sound so dirty," Justin said, tugging on her frozen form. She just glared up at him and dug her fingers with bloody nubs of nails into her sheets. "Look, do you want help or not!"

Alex stared at him for a long second, apparently weighing her options, before getting up with a huff.

"You're popping the popcorn," she announced as she walked unsteadily towards the door. _Vertigo_, he thought with a little smirk. Just as quickly the sense of self-righteousness dissipated.

"Wait, what do you mean by that?" he called after her. "Alex, it's three in the morning."

Her head popped around the corner, "Mom and Dad probably won't be very happy if I tell them you let your own innocent sister watch a gory, disgusting, inappropriate R rated movie, would they?" Her signature smirk curled up the corners of her mouth.

Damn Alex and her subturfuge. Damn R-rated movies.

_Cursing is bad_, Justin reminded himself as he staggered after his sister, biting his tongue keep his mouth in check as she tripped him on the stairs. It wasn't until her warm hand slipped into his that he lost all form of coherent thought, his eyes drawn towards the words _we're not normal people_ still visible on her wrist; his breath hitched as she began to spell letters out on the back of his hand: _t-h-a-n-k-s_. The worst part was...she meant it.

He was seriously scr- in trouble.

That was the fifth time he saved her.

_-**_t_b_c_**-_


	6. VI: epiphanies and choices

**saving you**

**part six**

**So, I'm not sure how I feel about this part. It's sort of...well: _blah_. But anyways, this story is almost done, and I'm really going to miss it. I finally felt like I nailed the characteristics of these two and now I have to give it up for now, at least until I come up with a new story. But enough with my blabbing. I hope you enjoy this installment. **

* * *

The sixth time he saved her, he had an epiphany.

They were sitting at the kitchen table, just the three kids - because their dad was upstairs digging the family wand out of the writhing vines out on the balcony adjacent the master bedroom, and their mom was trying to get into his head that this stupid competition would tear their family apart - with that comfortable silence.

Well, comfortable wasn't exactly the right word.

He was chewing his Cheerios methodically - _eighty-six, eighty-seven, eighty-eight chews, and swallow_ - while staring out the glass double doors towards the apartment building blocking the view to the nearest intersection. His fingers were drumming agitatedly on the top of the table and every time he swallowed he felt like throwing up. Truthfully, he wasn't sure how Alex could possibly sit next to him and scarf down half a dozen strawberry pop-tarts with a glass of chocolate milk without batting an eyelash. His knees felt wobbly, his face was probably an interesting shade of violet, and he had the oddest feeling that _he couldn't do this_.

"Can you stop doing that?" Alex snapped. "You're giving me a headache with that damn tapping." She glared first at his face and then at his fingertips.

Justin felt himself blink once, absorb her words and the way her face was turning redder by the second as she bore holes in his head - figuratively.

"My apologies," he mumbled finally, getting up so that he could pull one of his vanilla shakes from the back of the fridge. Perhaps protein could calm his nerves.

A loud groan sounded from behind him.

"Are you really going to go all 'brain-i-ac' and 'Mr. Etiquette' on me_ right now_?" She sounded even more pissed off, and briefly Justin wondered if she'd been talking with TJ lately about that stupid R rated movie dare. TJ _did_ tend to set her off. Or maybe it was her time of the month, and - well, ew; he really shouldn't have taken that semester of the female anatomy.

He glanced back, met steaming chocolate eyes with a hint of jade buried in their depths, and asked, "Is everything okay?"

Alex chucked the bottle of whipped cream at him, and watched it hit the fridge just to his left as a muscle worked in her jaw.

Max - who had been breaking his waffles into a large pile - pulled the microscope away from his eyes and looked up at them, puzzled.

"Hey, watch out for that -" he began, only to break off as Alex threw her plate and it hit the vase Theresa had just moved from the living room to the countertop in the kitchen. Instantly the vase and the plate shattered, the sound ringing through the air like reverberating screeches, metallic. "_Ooooh_, you're gonna be in trouble." He pointed at Alex a bit gleefully.

Just then, the sound of pounding footsteps echoed from upstairs.

"Just _great_," Alex yelled at her older brother, "now I'm gonna get in _trouble_, all because of _you_!"

Justin twisted and opened his mouth, closed it, tried to figure out when he had deserved her verbal abuse. Then again, he rarely deserved it; Alex seemed to deal it out when she felt like it, exhibiting no remorse unless it caused catastrophic events to occur - which was about half the time.

"Alex," Justin began in that slow voice, "what did I do?"

Alex got up in a heartbeat, thrusting the chair back like it weighed nothing.

"You were _born_!" She began heatedly, her fingers balling into fists. "You were born with your _stupid_ brain and your _stupid_ study skills and that _stupid_ sweet attitude of yours and the _stupid_ ability to best me in _everything you do_!" Her shoulders were heaving and he swore he saw tears lining her lashes, but he was probably imagining things.

Then Alex was gone, flashing out just as Theresa came stomping down the stairs with _that_ expression, the one that meant someone was in for her famous lecture.

* * *

She wasn't talking to him; that much Justin figured out pretty quickly.

She was just sitting on her bed with the heart necklace Mason had given her swinging about her neck like a pendulum, the center infused with a flickering glow. And for a moment, as Justin's fingers curled around the edge of her door, he wondered if that meant her love for _him_ was fading.

The thought made him grip the door all the tighter, made him shudder convulsively, because living on Alex's bad side was terrible enough without being family.

"Have you seen Mason lately?" Justin tried, hoping that the subject of her boyfriend would get her to talk.

Nothing. Her shoulders bowed and she clamped her lips shut. She didn't look so angry now, just defeated, and that was so much worse.

"Did you two fight again?"

A pause.

"You could say that," she replied flatly. "It's for the best - after today he'll be a threat to all of us."

Justin swallowed as he watched the shadows play across her face like the flat keys on a piano, a haunting melody withering into _once-upon-a-time_.

"You don't know that," he tried, watching as she turned away from him. "So, um, good luck in the wizard competition." Look what she did to him, making him stutter like an incompetent fool.

"Yeah, whatever." Alex looked at the pillows making a oval at the head of her bed. "We all knew who would win from the beginning."

He walked away, watching her sit there and not cry because she was so much _stronger_ than that.

His heart felt heavy.

* * *

His pulse, skipping frantically in his ears, then fading away to a sluggish rhythm as he watched his father hold the family wand up in the air.

Everything afterwords was a blur: running, firing spells, jumping through flames just as they threatened to singe away his eyebrows. Panting, heart racing, eyes locking with that of Alex as she tried to bog him down with yet another earth spell. It was so familiar - _too much so_ - to the last wizard competition, the one Alex gave up because it wasn't fair, because she'd had one of her _'moments'_, as he called them.

And she was about to do it again, Justin realized as he watched his sister. She was running and yet she wasn't sprinting _quite_ fast enough, and there was the familiar, mischevious glint in her eyes that meant she'd made some stupid decision and was sticking to it. Except, this time, this decision was going to impact her whole life.

She was going to let him win.

To some extent, Justin saw as he looked at her and the way her hair was swept back into a messy ponytail, Alex was doing this because she knew it meant a lot to him. That warmed his heart, because that meant she actually _had_ been listening all the times he'd gone off to study for the wizard competition, all the times he'd expressed his innermost desire to remain a wizard that could change the world. Then again, she could have bribed Max to tell her everything, but that was beside the point.

But there was something more, something she could never quite admit. Alex didn't think she was good enough to keep her full wizard powers. She had never told him so directly, but every time she'd messed up a spell, or created a horrible disaster either Justin or their dad had to fix, he'd watched that light in her eyes fade. Alex probably thought that, if she could keep her powers, she would just make a horrible wizard and so it would be best just to give it up.

And, as Justin watched that same light flicker in his sister's eyes, he knew that he would do anything to sustain that glow. Magic made Alex shine in ways she probably didn't even realize, and without out it she would be a total wreck.

But unlimited powers. It was something he'd wanted for so long, and -

_no_.

Without thinking, his hands stretched out, shoving into Alex's back and propelling her towards the whirling ball of magic in the center of the ancient arena somewhere in Rome.

And as the ball of magic seized his sister's heart, Justin tumbled onto the ground and felt a tiny part of him shrivel. His fingers splayed against the earth, spelling out letters, and he felt Alex's chocolate eyes on him, those jade specks shimmering now. And that's how he knew he was doing the right thing.

_I - W-i-l-l - A-l-w-a-y-s - C-h-o-o-s-e - Y-o-u. _

The scariest thing of all: _he meant it_.

That was the sixth time he saved her.

_-**t_b_c-_**


	7. VII: of beauty and sacrifice

**saving. you. **

**part seven**

**It's over (begins to wail inconsolably.) This part is really short but it gets the point across. I hope all of you loved this story; I know I did.**

* * *

The seventh time, he didn't save her.

He was currently spread out on his bed. His heart was aching, his body was aching, his hollow eyes were averting their gaze from the feeble light peering through the curtains. Some part of him wanted to get up, grab a vanilla protein shake, and go about his daily life like nothing had changed.

Everything had changed.

* * *

She waited until she heard the unmistakable signs of stuttering snores - only Justin could snore so nerd like - before padding into his room with her wand lighting the area just enough so she wouldn't trip over one of his stupid action figures. He was there, cuddled up to his Captain Jim Bob Sherwood stuffed doll, with his legs tucked up to his chest and his Buzz Lightyear sheets encircling his ankles.

Ignoring the fact that he wasn't wearing a shirt, and well, she could see practically everything, Alex seated herself beside him. The heart necklace swung from her neck and as she ran a cold hand over the warm skin of his bicep the center of the heart began to flicker with light. Her hand moved down, brushing his waist, and there was nothing sexual about it (because that would be totally gross, duh.)

Within moments the necklace was glowing brightly and Alex knew, knew with the heaviness in her chest that this was how it was always supposed to be.

But that didn't mean she wouldn't fight it.

"I'm sorry, Mason," Alex whispered, waving the wand over her brother's sleeping form and closing her eyes tightly. A flash of light, a gasp, and it was done, and she was stealing from his room, not forgetting to grab his Captain Jim Bob Sherwood doll from his arms for future blackmailing purposes.

* * *

He woke up in a tangle of blankets, gasping and shuddering and realizing instantly that something was different.

His one of a kind, Captain Jim Bob Sherwood, stuffed figure was gone - _Alex, no doubt _- and he was holding something smooth and skinny in his hands now, something that seemed to fit just perfectly in his palms.

His wand.

And there, written on his wrist, was: _We all knew who would win from the beginning, Sir Dorks A Lot. _

His lips quirked into a smile and he looked towards his slightly ajar bedroom door, running a hand over his wand. For a just a second, he pictured his sister in his mind, and realized that he'd never seen how truly beautiful she was before.

"Love you too," Justin mumbled, and that was that.

**_-t_h_e e_n_d **-_


End file.
